A mother’s heart

For many families, women are the anchors that hold the unit together. These ‘anchors’ play a significant part in helping JAM deliver our delicious and nutritious meals to hungry and eager students. On a daily basis, women in Angola, South Africa and Mozambique voluntarily give of their time to prepare and cook JAM’s nutritious porridge.

Cecilia Mbalanda, a mother of 6, is one such mother that gives of her time to prepare and cook JAM’s Corn Soya Blended (CSB) porridge for children that attend Kangoia Primary School in rural Angola. Every morning, between looking after her family and farming, she together with other mothers, spends hours preparing the JAM porridge to ensure the children at Kangoia get a solid meal. Cecilia’s efforts and those of her peers, results in the school’s attendance rate remaining at a high level.

Many families in Cecilia’s community are only able to provide one meal a day for their children due to a devastating drought. The continued poor rainfall has resulted in several years of poor harvest and less food to eat in the community. As such, a meal served in a JAM “Red Bowl” containing 75% of all the required daily nutrients for a growing child makes a significant difference to the overall health of children in this poor and hungry community.

Cecilia’s dream is for her children to be able to succeed in life and embrace opportunities that she never enjoyed as she grew up in a time of civil war in Angola. During the long conflict that ended in 2002, access to education and adequate nutrition was difficult, especially in rural Benguela Province, Angola.

Mothers like Cecilia dream of a better future for their children, when you support JAM you help us to help them achieve their dreams.